Hades inhaled deeply and smiled as he stepped through the portal and back into his realm. Mordecai followed behind him. The second both men were through, the gateway closed on itself, sealing them both inside Hell.
The Lady of the Beasts felt Hades’ dark gaze upon her as she stumbled through the dark corridors of Hell. The skin on the bottoms of her feet was raw and blistered from the heat and rocks that littered the ground. Sweat rolled down her naked body, yet she shivered. To her right, a river of fire rolled by in a never-ending torrent of pain and misery, the occasional scream emitted from some tormented soul who was trapped in its depths.
Most people believed there was only one gateway into Hell, and that was past the terrifying Cerberus, who killed all who tried to leave without permission. But she knew better. There were a few cracks in Hades’ realm, and she would find one of them to make her escape.
She was close. The faintest scent of fresh air reached her amid the smoke and foul-scented stench. She pretended to trip on the uneven ground, allowing herself to fall to one knee. She rested there, sucking in the hot, arid air. It stung her lungs and made it hard to breathe.
Hades could not know she was close to escape. He would do everything in his power to stop her. Since he’d given his word, he could not stop her personally, but he could put more obstacles in her way, and she did not know how much longer she could last.
She’d come a long way since being released from the prison in the bowels of Hell where she’d spent the past five thousand years, but she was still in Hades’ domain. Hades was playing a dangerous game, one she prayed he would lose. Hope hinged on her faithful warriors, the ones she’d been forced to curse when she realized they could not win the war against the Greek gods and their soldiers.
How it had hurt her to lock her brave warriors in their animal forms, but it had been necessary. The curse had kept them out of Hell, but it hadn’t stopped Hades from sending his demons to watch over them. But the Lady didn’t mind that. Who better to keep her loyal followers safe until the time came for them to rise once again?
She’d told Hades how the warriors could be released from the curse in exchange for her release. But the devil was tricky and had agreed to release her from her prison and not from his domain. That she must do on her own.
But she’d tricked him too, as even the gods were subjected to certain immutable laws. And the word of a god or goddesses could not be taken back once it was given.
She sucked in another breath, knowing time was short. She could wander through the catacombs of Hell forever if she wasn’t careful, and her warriors needed her help.
Time passed differently in this realm, and she had no idea how much of it had passed on Earth. Hades hadn’t managed to free another warrior since Marko. She’d know if he had, would feel the surge of power flooding through her veins. There were only two of them left now, her lion and her wolf. Two more battles to be lost or won.
A distant roar echoed off the rock walls, funneling down the long tunnel toward her. She knew Hades was sending some of his demons her way. They couldn’t physically stop her, but they could put roadblocks in her way or trick her into going down a false trail, and she was so very close to freedom.
Although she wanted to flee, she forced herself to stay where she was. Unmoving, she was the picture of defeat. She sensed Hades’ satisfaction and, as quickly as his presence had come, it was gone.
The Lady allowed some of her newly regained power to surge through her—enough to give her the strength to run but not enough to gain the god’s attention. She pushed herself to her feet and hurried along the path as fast as she could manage.
She ignored the blisters that covered her bare skin, the heat that made it difficult to breathe and the minor demons that watched her silently from their perches all around her. They could easily tell Hades she was getting closer to escape, but it would never occur to them to do so, just as it would never occur to Hades to ask them to keep tabs on her. These demons cared for little beyond their own survival. Since they couldn’t physically harm her, she was of little import to them. It was a weakness in her enemy’s lair and one she planned to exploit.
Hades’ arrogance would be her salvation.
In the distance she could see a light. She could also hear the slightest sound of chanting. The music was beautiful to her ears and gave her the extra boost of power she needed to keep going.
The tunnel was long and narrowed as she climbed. Her fingernails were ragged and torn, her arms and legs bruised and battered. Her muscles strained and tendons screamed. Still, she climbed toward hope, toward freedom.
Chapter One
Araminta Davidson stuffed her cosmetic bag into her suitcase and shut the lid. Or, rather, tried to shut it. The overstuffed bag wasn’t going to close without a fight. It took several minutes, and her not inconsiderable weight to push the edges near enough for her to zip it. She straightened and blew a strand of hair out of her eyes. “That’s it, Percy.”
Her black cat glanced at her from his perch on the foot of the bed before he resumed licking his paw.
She laughed and reached out and gave him a quick scrub between his ears. That was Percy—disinterested and surly. They’d been living together for a year now and Araminta still felt like he was still auditioning her for the job as his owner. No, that wasn’t right. More like his personal house slave.
She’d gone to the animal shelter for a cute little kitten and come home with full-grown, newly neutered male cat with one ragged ear and mountain of attitude. It had been love at first sight. “I should have called you Byron, not Percy.” She’d named him after one of her favorite poets, but he had more of Byron’s dark, brooding personality. Still, he answered to Percy, when he wanted to.
“I’ll only be gone for tonight and tomorrow night and I’ll be home on Sunday afternoon. You have fresh litter, lots of water and food, and Mary Jo from next door will be over tomorrow to check on you.” Araminta pushed aside the guilt assailing her at the thought of leaving the cat behind and hefted her overstuffed suitcase off the bed. She dragged it out the bedroom door and down the short hallway to the living room. Her large tote bag with her laptop and promotional items sat near the front door, waiting for her to load them into the car. She’d already put the box of her books in the trunk.
Percy followed her into the living room and made an agile jump from the floor to the back of the sofa where he settled down to watch her, his green eyes intent on her every movement.
Araminta surveyed the room and ticked off her mental checklist. The stove was off, the cat was taken care of, she had everything she needed and the back door was locked. She took a deep breath and slowly released it.
She was really going to her first writer’s convention, and not just any convention, but the Luna Starquest Readers’ Weekend. It was a limited get-together, with around two hundred and fifty readers and several other guest authors. For some unknown reason, Luna Starquest had invited her to be one of them.
And the convention was being held just down the road from her in Fargo. She really didn’t have to stay at the hotel. It was more than close enough for her to drive back and forth every day. But she hated driving on the highway at night and didn’t want to miss out on any events because she felt the need to get on the road early. Plus, her hotel room was being paid for, which was great because she couldn’t have afforded it otherwise.
Contrary to what a lot of people believed, most writers didn’t make a whole lot of money. The lucky ones, like her, made a living. And it was only the fact she’d inherited her home from her grandmother that allowed her to write full-time.